Once there were ten identical monkeys. Their father made them draw lots and gave the winner a long bamboo pole. Each day the monkey with the pole whacks coconuts out of a tree, his brothers catch them and shell them, and they all feed off the proceeds. The monkey carrying the pole finds it quite hard and is normally very tired by the end of the day; over the years, he wonders whether it's worth the hassle. But one day there's an almighty flood. The monkey with the pole is lagging behind as usual and watches his nine brothers drown in the distance. When the flood abates, he walks on, finds a mate, and eventually passes the pole on to one of his ten identical children.
展开▼
